Confessional



sePt- 8, 1942. A. .1. JuRcAK 2,294,912

CONFESSIONAL Filed Oct. 14, 1958 myx" "":bhzff www Patented Sept. 8,1942,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONFESSIONAL Andrew J. Jurcak, Houtzdale,Pa.

Application October 14, 1938, Serial No. 235,092

This invention relates to ecclesiastical furniture, and particularly toimprovements in confessionals for religious use.

Confessionals are so constructed as to afford the penitent, during hisinterview with his confessor, the utmost privacy by shielding hisidentity both from his Confessor and from the members of thecongregation who may be present in the church at the time of saidinterview. Accordingly, separate adjoining compartments are provided forthe Confessor and the penitent, which compartments are very limited inarea and substantially enclosed. The only direct means of communicationbetween the penitent and his confessor is a narrow window in thepartition wall which separates the compartments. This window is providedWith a grating or lattice in order to permit the confessor to see thepenitent without recognizing his identity.

The confessor in order to aid the penitent by his advice, must learnfrom the penitent all the facts of the case. On the other hand, thepenitent, in order to preserve the privacy of the interview, speaks inWhispered tones. Accordingly, it becomes necessary for the Confessor toposition the side of his face as near as possible to the grating of thewindow formed in the partition wall, so that he can hear and understandthe whispering penitent, who, in order to be heard and understood,places his mouth near the opposite side of the grating.

It is apparent from the foregoing that the Confessor and the penitentare subjected to the unpleasant breath and offensive odors of eachother, and are exposed to those diseases and sick; nesses which arecontracted by contact with the breath, coughing and sneezing ofindividuals.

An important object of this invention is to provide a simple, efficient,practical and economical means whereby the aforementioned inconvenientand unsanitary conditions are eliminated.

Another object is to provide means, which, although eliminating thedisadvantages of the confessional booths now in use, permit theConfessor and the penitent to see each other, and to hear and understandthe lowest whispers of each.

A further object resides in the fact that the invention can beeffectively and eiciently used with the confessional booths now in use,without modifying the structure of -sai-d booths.

A still further object is to accomplish the foregoing objects with meanswhich will not distract the Confessor or the penitent, therebypreserving the purpose and effectiveness of the interview.

Other objects will be apparent from the following detailed description,taken in connection With the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. lis asectional View of a confessional booth, showing the application of thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary View of the same;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the invention; and,

Fig. 5 is a View of a modified form of the invention.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration, is shown apreferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 6 denotes generallythe confessional having the center compartment I for the Confessor andthe end compartments 8 for the penitents. The center or confessorscompartment is separated from each of the end or penitents compartmentsby the partition walls I0, and is provided with a seat II and shelvesI2. The entrance to the confessors compartment 1 is provided with a doorI3 secured to the front wall I4 of the confession booth, and having agrating I5 and a curtain I6. Each of the penitents copartments isprovided with a shelf I1, and each entrance thereto has a curtain I8.Each of the partition walls I0 has formed there in immediately above theshelves I2 and Il the window I9 having a grating 20 through which theConfessor and penitent converse. A sliding closure ZI is provided foreach window, whereby the window in one partition wall is closed whilethe window in the opposite wall is open. Thus,

'during the interview of the Confessor with a penitent in one endcompartment, the window in the partition wall separating the other endcompartment is closed to the penitent who is Waiting in said lattercompartment. When the interview is concluded, the window communicatingwith the said one end compartment is closed by the sli-ding closure, andthe window communicating with the said other end compartment is openedto the waiting penitent by sliding the closure from said window.

The foregoing described parts of the confessional 6 are conventional andare found in the confessional now employed.

In order to protect the confesser and the penitent from the breath andoffensive odors of each other, and also from the germs which are spreadthrough coughing and sneezing, a shield 22 is removably positioned onthe shelf I2 between the grating 2U and the confessor. This shieldcomprises a pair of frames 23 and 24 and a sheet of transparent material25 interposed therebetween.

The frames 23 and 24 have aligned openings therein, and are joined bythe hinges 26. Each frame has a grating 21 which covers the openingtherein, and which is secured to the outer face of the frame by strips28, flush with said frame. The opposed faces of the frames 23 and 24 areprovided with a groove 23 and a rib 30, respectively, the former beingadapted to receive the latter when the frames are in closed position.

The transparent material 25 consists of a sheet of cellulose hydratematerial such as Cellophane, which is substantially the same size as theshield. This sheet is held in place between the frames by the rib 29,which locks the marginal edges of the transparent sheet in the groove30. The frames are retained in closed position by suitable fasteningmeans 3l. Thus, the transparent sheet may be easily removed from theframes, and a clean sheet substituted therefor, as often as sanitaryconditions demand. It is apparent that this sheet made of Cellophane orother cellulose hydrate material prevents the passage of unpleasantbreath, obnoxious odors and germs through the grating 20 from thepenitent to the Confessor, and vice When the shield is to be used inconnection with the conventional confessional, the shield is removablysupported on the shelf I2 thereof by the bifurcated feet 32, into whichthe shield removably fits.

When the shield 22 is built-in the confessional and made an integralpart thereof, the shield, as shown in Fig. 5, with its frames 23 and 24,its gratings 21, and sheet of cellulose hydrate material 25, ispositioned in the window i9 of each of the walls I0, separating theconfessors compartment 1 from the end compartments 8. The shield isprevented by the shoulders 33 of the frame of the window I9 from4outward movement toward the penitents compartment, but may be removedfor repairs and for renewal of the transparent sheet by the inwardmovement toward the confessors compartment. The conventional slidingclosure 2! is used with the shield for the same purpose as stated above,and the customary shelves I 2 and I1 are provided.

The preferred construction of the invention is illustrated in thedrawing, and referred to in the above description, and is believed to beefficient and practicable for the intended purposes; yet realizing thatchanges may be resorted to, and required under varying conditions, Idesire to state that it is intended that various changes may be made inthe general form and arrangement of the various parts and materials fromwhich such parts may be formed without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a portable breath guard for church confessional windows, a pair offrames arranged in opposed abutting relation and one of said frameshaving a groove extending into all side faces opposing the other frame,a rib formed on side faces of the latter-named frame and entering saidgroove, a flexible solid membrane of sheet form positioned between saidframes for closing the latter and having the marginal portions thereofclamped in the groove by the rib to prevent shifting of the membranerelative to the frames and preventing fraying of the edges of saidmembrane, hinges connecting said frames to permit swinging of the framestoward and from each other, and elongated supporting members havingnotches to receive and frictionally grip portions of the frames topermit the. frames to be firmly rested on a sill of a confessionalwindow and to secure the frames in abutting engagement against swingingmovement relative to each other.

2. In a portable breath guard, a pair of frames arranged in opposedabutting relation and one of said frames having a groove opposing theother frame, a rib formed on the latter-named frame and entering saidgroove, a flexible fragile solid membrane of sheet form positionedbetween said frames for closing the latter and clamped in the groove bythe rib, hinges connecting said frames to permit swinging of the framestoward and from each other, elongated supporting members having notchesto receive and frictionally grip portions of the frames to permit theframes to be firmly rested on a support and to secure the frames inabutting engagement, and screen type panels closing said frames andspaced from and arranged at opposite sides of the flexible fragilemembrane to guard the latter against destruction.

' ANDREW J. JURCAK.

